“He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” (Luke 22:41-44)
Imagine Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. He has trained the disciples. He has concluded His ministry. I was time to return to the Father, but there was one last task…His death and resurrection. In preparation, He is coming before His father in prayer. However, it is a prayer like no other that He has offered…He is asking “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me”. (Matthew 26:39) Just prior to this prayer, He tells the disciples that He is “grieved to the point of death”. He prays this prayer three times. His agony is enough to warrant an angelic visitation for “strengthening”. What drives Him to this point? He has already endured much, yet this will be the greatest task that God the Father will ask of Him. The betrayal of someone close to Him, the humiliation of the trial and beating and the pain of crucifixion will all be very difficult to endure, but even worse than those, God is asking Him to take on sin and endure His Father turning away from Him. Yet even as Christ asks His Father to be relieved of this task, He readily adds “yet not as I will, but as You will”.
As I’ve mentioned in the two previous posts on acceptance, so often we naively believe that knowing the plan and the purpose will help us cope. Joseph knew very little and endured with integrity and recognized God’s hand at work after the fact. Mary knew enough to maintain an eternal perspective, but still had to have unwavering trust in God to say “may it be done to me according to your word”. Christ has all of the facts. He has known the plan and purpose from the beginning and yet He is humbly begging God for another plan. He has never known sin in His person and has always enjoyed union with the Father. Knowing the facts and the eventual outcome, did not make bearing sin and His Father turning away from Him any more bearable. In the end, being informed provides little help. While we may prefer it, it truly is not the principle factor in accepting God’s will for us. Throughout His life, Christ constantly spent time with the Father in prayer…that bond was what sustained Him. He drew near to the Father and the Father drew near to Him. It was a relationship of love, obedience, and trust. When it comes down to it, it is our relationship with the Father that allows us to submit our will to His. It is that relationship that is the key which unlocks all of the other aspects of acceptance. Christ reminds His disciples in Matthew 26:41 that the “spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. It is that relationship with God that pulls the will of the flesh in line the will of our spirit and with God’s will.
As I’ve said, one aspect of acceptance is perspective. To clearly see Christ’s focus as He faced crucifixion, bearing sin and the Father’s temporary rejection, we can look to the High Priestly prayer as recorded in John 17. It is a beautiful prayer that summarizes Christ’s understanding and His requests to the Father while acknowledging the work of the Father as well. In short, this final act on earth glorifies God the Father and God the Son while providing eternal life to those who believe. It is keeping the that perspective mixed with trust and an unwavering desire to obey that move Christ to say “yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
Another facet of acceptance afforded to us through our relationship with God is our faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen.” Closeness with God allows us to have faith in Him, faith in His promises to sustain, guide, and perfect us and faith in the eternal rewards that await us in the future. It is that faith that allows us to trust and to obediently serve and endure with integrity no matter what comes. It is faith that allows us to rely on God’s strength rather than our own.
Finally, it is that closeness with God that allows us to humbly pour out our hearts to the Father as Christ did. Is it not our fears and doubts that are at the root cause of our lack of submission? Yet, when we come to Him with our fears, our doubts and our anxieties and trust that, just as He did for Christ, He will strengthen and encourage us, we can endure whatever He asks of us.
When we maintain a strong bond with God, keep an eternal perspective and humbly pour out our fears to Him, He will give us the strength to endure and like Christ say “not My will, but Yours be done”
How is your relationship with God? Do you stay near to God or merely come to Him when you feel that there is no other option. Does your faith in God allow your flesh to join with your spirit in readiness to receive God’s will for your life or are you at war with yourself and God? Do you like Christ seek God’s glory and your eternal good no matter what circumstances you face or would you rather be self-serving and concerned solely with the rewards in this life? As you review yourself and your circumstances, ask God to show you your weaknesses and fears; allow Him teach, encourage, sustain and strengthen you; trust Him and His wisdom rather than relying on your own understanding and remember that He is always with you. When you do these things, every difficult experience draws you closer to God and strengthens your faith so that you can have a testimony and share the gospel with others.
In closing, consider 1 Peter 5:6-11. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen”